Optus launched its ‘Trade In, Trade Up’ program late September, a move it promoted as making it cheaper and simpler for customers to upgrade their devices and recycle their unwanted handsets.
We covered it back when it was first announced, but it seems the trade-in offer is causing some confusion among customers wanting to know just how the Optus version is any different from other phone trade-in schemes.
Unlike other third-party phone trade-in offers, customers won’t get cash for their old phones; instead, they’ll be reimbursed with a credit for their new phone and 24-month plan.
The idea is that, after checking if your old phone is eligible for the offer, you bring it into an Optus retail store (along with ID such as a driver’s license or passport). An Optus sales rep will inspect your phone and make you a trade-in credit offer, which will be applied on your second bill if you sign on for a 24-month contract.
The offer applies to eligible phones from any network, not just Optus, so long as they can power on and are in decent working order. After being traded in, some phones will be recycled, but most will be refurbished by a third party and shipped off to be resold in developing markets overseas.
Convenient or not?
While it’s an easy way to dispose of your old phone and go home with a new one, the downside to the scheme is that you’ll need to sign on for a new two-year Optus plan in order to trade in. It’s available to both new and existing customers, but only if you’re prepared to tie yourself to Optus for a 24-month period.
It’s also difficult to get an exact idea of what you might get for your phone. Credit offered will vary based on the model of the phone, the condition it’s in, and, interestingly, ‘a variable daily market rate’.
This means that prices may fluctuate day-to-day, and what you’re offered for your old phone one day isn’t guaranteed to be the same if you come back later in the week. For example, an iPhone 4S 16GB could fetch anywhere from $140 to $215, depending on its condition and the daily pricing; the Galaxy S III attracts a similar rate of between $143 and $220.
Which, unfortunately, makes it a little harder to shop around for the best price for your old handset – you’ll need to do your research before talking to Optus if you want to compare offers.
The trade-in service is also only available in Optus ‘yes’ stores, so isn't applicable to upgrades or new contracts purchased online or over the phone.
Although most customers will have a seven-day period after signing a contract to trade their device in, customers will need to make the swap on the same day if they’re trading a Samsung Galaxy S III for the Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini, or the iPhone 4S 16GB for either the iPhone 5c or 5s.
Optus has spruiked the offer as ‘the first of its kind’ among Aussie telcos, but we wonder if there really was that much of a demand for the scheme. There are plenty of cash-for-phones sites, such as Mobicity and Mazuma Mobile, who’ll offer you cash money for pre-loved handsets.
Optus themselves recommend the telco-endorsed Mobile Muster program for customers with smartphones ineligible for Trade In, Trade Up; although you won’t be reimbursed for your phone, it is free to use and a good way of recycling your device without being locked into another two-year service cycle.
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